Jocelyn Benson projected to win Michigan Democratic gubernatorial primary

Jocelyn Benson was projected to win Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial primary Tuesday, defeating Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson as the race turned toward the November general election. The Associated Press called the contest at 9 p.m. with 16% of the vote counted, when Benson held 84.6% to Swanson’s 15.4%; The Detroit News later reported she was running at about 85% with hundreds of thousands of ballots still to be counted.

The result gives Democrats a nominee for an open governor’s race after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reached her term limit. CBS Detroit said Democrats were trying to keep control of the governor’s office in 2026, and Benson’s victory keeps them on track for a fall campaign in a state that is expected to be one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the country.

Benson brought a built-in statewide profile into the primary as Michigan’s secretary of state, the official who oversees the state’s election system. She also previously served as dean of Wayne State University Law School, a résumé that helped define her campaign as one centered on election administration and state government experience rather than local law enforcement, Swanson’s base as Genesee County sheriff.

Her campaign began in January 2025 and had already amassed more than $3.5 million by the time the race tightened into the final stretch, according to a CBS Detroit Facebook post. A July 30 CBS Detroit interview also put Benson back in front of voters in the final days before the primary.

The early public polling pointed to the same outcome. A Detroit News poll published July 15 showed Benson ahead of Swanson 72% to 12%, with about 16% undecided, a margin that matched the early vote totals once counting began. Benson now moves into a November contest that will test whether Democrats can hold Michigan’s governor’s office in a state that remains central to national politics.